Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have a 14'' beardie but i had him for over a year. i know he isn't growing fast and he isn't as fat as the female that i bought recently and she eats like crazy. she's 12'' long but around the belly is 3/4'' fatter than the male. i wanted to know what kind of methods there are to make it eat more and to get it to gain more weight and grow? i have all the right lights and a 60 gal tank, and i try to feed him crickets and worms but it only eats a few. (a lot less than the smaller female) HELP ME HELP MY LIZARD.

Have you had a fecal run lately?
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Heart Mountain Herps

that sounds awfully small for a dragon that age, i would have the vet look for parisites for sure it could really be hurting his growth, if he gets cleared by the vet the other thing to think about is every dragon has different tasts maby he wants something else try offering a lot of differnt things to spark his appetite or try hideing feeders in his salad

being over a year old and still 14 inches long, he may not grow much longer. genetics could have played a part as to why he is so small or problems with husbantry or health issues when he was young could be the reason as well.

you should be offering him mostly greens now anyway, with some insects offered every other day. is he eating greens at all at this time? if he isn't eating crickets, try silkworms, butterworms, roaches, hornworms or superworms. variety may spark his interest in food as well.

as he always been a small eater? have you ever taken him to a vet for parasite checks etc? parasites can hamper not only the growth of dragons but their appetite as well. not enough water could be causing problems with digestion as well. is he well hydrated? you can also offer him some unsweetened low fat fruit yogurt, either straight or mixed with some greens, to help promote a healthy gut and get him to eat more. parazap could also help increase his appetite so he will eat more.
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PHLdyPayne

i haven't taken my lizard in the vet ever, its too expensive. but i don't think it is parasites because he doesn't look lethargic at all. also, the light i had was getting old and i just bought a reptiglo8.0 light a week ago, so maybe his body just needs time to start working right. also, i just bought today this stuff called APETITE PLUS and it says shoud greatly increase the lizard's apetite in about 2 days, i will just keep using it untill i see it works. Maybe is it the presence of having a female in the same enclosure as it? if i separate them do you think he'll grow?

most dragons are incapable of living in a cage together. It can cause lots of stress and that may lead to your observed decrease in appetite.

pinkies are a good fattening source, but you don't want to chronically feed pinkies as they are said to lead to liver problems due to the high fat content. I only feed pinkies to gravid females and to all my dragons when they wake from brumation.
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a free range dragon is a happy dragon

deffinitely separate your two dragons. since the smaller female is eating well, she could be dominating the male, preventing him from wanting to eat. as you do have a large tank, and so strapped for cash that you can't take your dragon to a vet, use a divider to divide the tank in half. making sure it's not see through so neither dragon can see the other.

i would not suggest pinky mice as it may be too big for your male dragon, as he is only 14 inches long. i never heard of the stuff you bought that is suppose to increase appetites in lizard so can't say if it would be good for it or not.

parasites don't necessarily cause lathargy, but they can sap a dragon of it's appitite, nutrients from food it does eat, as well as cause it not to grow as well or to thrive. most vets only charge about 25 dollars for a fecal. i still suggest at least getting a fecal done. call the herp vets in your area and ask what they charge, you may find it isn't as expensive as you think.

you still will have to build or buy a new tank for the female, as once she outgrows the half of the 60g you need to keep the two dragons separate. she is too small and young to breed but eventually your male, once he starts to feel better, will try to breed her. females shouldn't be bred till they are at least 15months old, with 18 months or older being better. she also should weigh at least 350g before breeding. if you don't want to breed at all, they you deffinitely want to keep the dragons in separate cages permanently.
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PHLdyPayne

Try a pinkie mouse. That always gets my dragon eating good again after he brumates or just seems uninterested in food.
Wayne.